{"id":725401,"date":"2026-05-04T01:35:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T22:35:54","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-05-04T01:35:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T22:35:54","slug":"openai-opens-chatgpt-subscriptions-to-openclaws-3-2m-users-as-anthropic-blocks-claude-access-to-the-ai-agent-platform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/openai-opens-chatgpt-subscriptions-to-openclaws-3-2m-users-as-anthropic-blocks-claude-access-to-the-ai-agent-platform\/","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI opens ChatGPT subscriptions to OpenClaw&#8217;s 3.2M users as Anthropic blocks Claude access to the AI agent platform"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40b627e66f3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40b627e66f3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/openai-opens-chatgpt-subscriptions-to-openclaws-3-2m-users-as-anthropic-blocks-claude-access-to-the-ai-agent-platform\/#TLDR\" >TL;DR<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/openai-opens-chatgpt-subscriptions-to-openclaws-3-2m-users-as-anthropic-blocks-claude-access-to-the-ai-agent-platform\/#The_lobster\" >The lobster<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/openai-opens-chatgpt-subscriptions-to-openclaws-3-2m-users-as-anthropic-blocks-claude-access-to-the-ai-agent-platform\/#The_opposite_bets\" >The opposite bets<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/openai-opens-chatgpt-subscriptions-to-openclaws-3-2m-users-as-anthropic-blocks-claude-access-to-the-ai-agent-platform\/#The_risks\" >The risks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/openai-opens-chatgpt-subscriptions-to-openclaws-3-2m-users-as-anthropic-blocks-claude-access-to-the-ai-agent-platform\/#The_ecosystem\" >The ecosystem<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/openai-opens-chatgpt-subscriptions-to-openclaws-3-2m-users-as-anthropic-blocks-claude-access-to-the-ai-agent-platform\/#The_model\" >The model<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.thenextweb.com\/2026\/05\/openai-openclaw-chatgpt-subscription-agent.avif\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n<p><em><\/p>\n<div class=\"postContent-tldr\">\n<h4 class=\"postContent-offsetTitle\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"TLDR\"><\/span>TL;DR<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>OpenAI has opened ChatGPT sub<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a>ions to OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent framework with 346,000 GitHub stars and 3.2 million users, allowing subscribers to run autonomous agents via GPT-5.4 for $23 per month. The move is the opposite of Anthropic\u2019s decision to block Claude subscriptions from OpenClaw in April, creating a competitive split where OpenAI bets on distribution and Anthropic protects margins.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/sama\/status\/2050357911915028689\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Sam Altman posted on X at 2:33 a.m. on 2 May<\/a>: \u201c<em>you can sign in to openclaw with your chatgpt account now and use your subscription there! happy lobstering.<\/em>\u201d The announcement, delivered with the casual register of a founder pushing a minor product update, is anything but minor. OpenAI has made its ChatGPT subscription the authentication and billing layer for OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent framework that became the fastest-growing project in GitHub history, accumulated 346,000 stars in under five months, and is now used by more than three million people. ChatGPT Plus subscribers can log in via OAuth, access GPT-5.4 through the Codex endpoint, and run autonomous AI agents on their own hardware for $23 per month total. OpenAI did not build the most popular AI agent in the world. It hired the developer, backed the foundation, and opened the login.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_lobster\"><\/span>The lobster<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>OpenClaw was created in November 2025 by Peter Steinberger, an Austrian developer who had previously sold a software company for $100 million and was experimenting with AI coding tools in a Madrid cafe. The first version was called Clawdbot, a play on Anthropic\u2019s Claude with a lobster mascot. Anthropic filed a trademark complaint. Steinberger renamed it Moltbot, then, because that \u201cnever quite rolled off the tongue,\u201d renamed it again to OpenClaw. The lobster stayed.<\/p>\n<p>The product is a locally hosted AI agent that connects to large language models, Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, and others, and operates through the messaging apps people already use: <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp<\/a>, Telegram, Signal, Discord, Slack, iMessage, Microsoft Teams. It manages calendars, sends emails, organises files, writes code, browses the web, and executes multi-step workflows autonomously. The data stays on the user\u2019s machine. The agent runs continuously in the background. Jensen Huang called it \u201c<em>the most popular open-source project in the history of humanity<\/em>\u201d at Nvidia\u2019s GTC conference in March. It surpassed React\u2019s ten-year GitHub record in 60 days.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper channel-cta\">\n<div class=\"ica-text\">\n<p class=\"ica-text__title\">TNW City Coworking space &#8211; Where your best work happens<\/p>\n<p>A workspace designed for growth, collaboration, and endless networking opportunities in the heart of tech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In February, Altman announced that Steinberger was joining OpenAI to \u201cdrive the next generation of personal agents\u201d and that OpenClaw would be moved to an independent foundation with OpenAI\u2019s continued support and funding.\u00a0Sequoia distributed 200 engraved Mac Minis at an AI event as OpenClaw became the infrastructure layer that venture capitalists could not own, and the signal from Silicon Valley\u2019s most influential firms was clear: the agent layer was going to be open, and the business models would have to be built around it rather than on top of it.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_opposite_bets\"><\/span>The opposite bets<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On 4 April, Anthropic blocked Claude Pro and Max subscribers from using their flat-rate subscription plans with OpenClaw and other third-party AI agent frameworks. The reason was cost: OpenClaw agents running autonomously can generate thousands of API calls per day, consuming far more compute than a human typing queries into a chat window. Anthropic decided that unlimited subscription access through an agent framework was economically unsustainable and shut it down.<\/p>\n<p>Anthropic\u2019s decision to ban OpenClaw from Claude subscriptions\u00a0was a defensive move to protect margins. OpenAI\u2019s decision to do the opposite, to open ChatGPT subscriptions to OpenClaw, is an offensive one. By making ChatGPT the default backend for the world\u2019s most popular agent framework, OpenAI is betting that the volume of new subscribers will more than compensate for the increased compute cost per user. The economics only work if OpenClaw converts a significant number of its 3.2 million users into paying ChatGPT subscribers. If it does, OpenAI will have acquired a distribution channel for its subscription product that no amount of marketing could have built.<\/p>\n<p>The competitive dynamics are stark. Anthropic looked at OpenClaw and saw a cost problem. OpenAI looked at the same product and saw a distribution opportunity. One company locked the door. The other opened it and handed out the keys.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_risks\"><\/span>The risks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>OpenClaw\u2019s rapid growth has been accompanied by equally rapid security failures. In late January, a critical remote code execution vulnerability, CVE-2026-25253, was disclosed: any website a user visited could silently connect to the agent\u2019s local server through an unvalidated WebSocket, chaining a cross-site hijack into full code execution on the user\u2019s machine. Security researchers audited ClawHub, OpenClaw\u2019s skills marketplace, and found 824 confirmed malicious entries out of 10,700 available skills, with 335 traced to a single coordinated attack operation. More than 30,000 OpenClaw instances were found exposed on the public internet without authentication. Moltbook, the social layer for agents, suffered a breach that exposed 1.5 million API tokens and thousands of private conversations.<\/p>\n<p>The vulnerabilities have been patched in current versions. The problem is that a significant portion of the installed base is running older, unpatched versions. Anything before version 2026.1.30 remains vulnerable to at least some of the disclosed exploits, and attackers are still targeting them. OpenAI\u2019s decision to tie its ChatGPT subscription to OpenClaw means that OpenAI\u2019s brand, its billing system, and its user credentials are now flowing through an open-source platform that has had more security incidents in four months than most enterprise software accumulates in a decade.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_ecosystem\"><\/span>The ecosystem<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Nvidia turned OpenClaw into an enterprise platform with NemoClaw, adding security hardening, compliance features, and integration with Nvidia\u2019s inference infrastructure.\u00a0Tencent launched ClawPro, an enterprise AI agent platform built on OpenClaw\u2019s architecture and optimised for the Chinese market.\u00a0Meta launched Manus AI as a desktop agent, a competing approach that runs as a native application rather than through messaging apps. The agent layer is now a battlefield where every major <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> company is staking a position.<\/p>\n<p>The ChatGPT subscription integration positions OpenAI at the centre of this ecosystem without requiring it to own or control the agent framework itself. OpenClaw remains open source, governed by an independent foundation, and compatible with multiple language model providers. But with Anthropic blocking access and OpenAI enabling it, the practical effect is that OpenClaw\u2019s three million users are being funnelled toward ChatGPT as their default model. The foundation structure gives OpenAI deniability. The subscription integration gives it distribution.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_model\"><\/span>The model<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The economics are unusual. A ChatGPT Plus subscription costs $20 per month. OpenClaw Launch Lite, a hosted management layer, costs $3 per month. For $23, a user gets access to GPT-5.4 through OpenClaw\u2019s agent framework without per-token API charges. This is substantially cheaper than using the OpenAI API directly, which would cost hundreds of dollars per month at the volume an autonomous agent generates. OpenAI is subsidising agent usage through its subscription tier, betting that the lifetime value of a subscriber who uses ChatGPT through OpenClaw is higher than the compute cost of serving their agent\u2019s requests.<\/p>\n<p>This is the same logic that drove mobile carriers to subsidise smartphones: give away the hardware economics to lock in the subscription revenue. OpenAI is giving away the agent access to lock in the ChatGPT subscription. If the bet works, ChatGPT becomes not just a chatbot but the default intelligence layer for a generation of autonomous AI agents that manage people\u2019s digital lives. If it does not work, OpenAI will have opened its most valuable product to a compute-intensive use case that burns through inference capacity without generating proportional revenue.<\/p>\n<p>Altman\u2019s tweet was seven words and a lobster joke. The decision behind it is one of the most consequential distribution bets OpenAI has made since launching ChatGPT. The most popular open-source project in history now runs on your ChatGPT subscription. Whether that is a masterstroke or a margin trap depends entirely on whether three million lobster enthusiasts convert into paying customers, and whether the agent they are running on their laptops is secure enough to deserve the trust that both OpenAI and its subscribers are placing in it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/openai-openclaw-chatgpt-subscription-agent\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TL;DR OpenAI has opened ChatGPT subscriptions to OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent framework with 346,000 GitHub stars and 3.2 million users, allowing subscribers to run autonomous agents via GPT-5.4 for $23 per month. The move is the opposite of Anthropic\u2019s decision to block Claude subscriptions from OpenClaw in April, creating a competitive split where OpenAI&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-725401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=725401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725401\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=725401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=725401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=725401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}